The La. Association of
National Registry Emergency
Medical Technicians hosted
their annual conference for
the first time in Natchitoches
at Chateau Saint Denis June 8-
9. During the conference, several
awards were presented to
individuals voted on by their
peers. Local paramedic
Breelin Johnson was awarded
the first ever “Louisiana
Bureau of EMS, Nancy
Bourgeois Lifetime
Achievement Award.”
Johnson said he was nominated
by the Bureau and his
peers and was chosen among
the 20,000 eligible EMTs and
paramedics in the state to
receive the award named for
the former state EMS director.
Johnson has been involved
in EMS for 37 years and served
over 29 as an employee of
Natchitoches Parish EMS. He
served 17 years as Director of
Ambulance Services and was
instrumental in establishing
paramedics at the ambulance
service as well as the visual
appearance of the ambulances
seen today. He currently works
with the DeSoto Parish EMS.
He has served many positions
with the Bureau over his
career including EMS instructor,
Quality Improvement
Monitor, training coordinator
for the state and overseeing
National Registry testing as a
National Registry representative.
He has been a member of
the National Association of
EMS Instructors, Louisiana,
and Natchitoches Association
of Emergency Medical
Technicians.
Johnson formerly served as
an EMT instructor for the
Louisiana Technical Colleges
in Natchitoches and Many.
Locally, Johnson is a Court
Appointed Special Advocate
for children (CASA) and a
member of First Baptist
Church on North Street where
he serves as deacon.
He and his wife, Sandra, a
professor in the nursing program
at NSU, have three
daughters, Kimberly, Whitney
and Courtney and two granddaughters,
Annebelle Rae and
Ava Grace, and one on the way.